Pneumatic gun



H. BOILEAU.

PNEUMATIC GUN.

APPLICATION FILED DECJ. I9I5.

Patented Feb.y 7, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l Inventor.'

H. BOILEAU.

PNEUMATIC GUN.

APPLICATION FILED Dic. I, 1915.

Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2'.

UNITED kSTATES HENRI BOILEAU, or 1301,s-conoirrrins,rrtaiivczrx,A `AssIGNoR or ortis- HALF 're 'G USAVE f DEBLADIS, or PARIS, ramon.

PATENT orifice.4

- PNEUMATIC GUN.

' Specification of Letters Yatent. Patented A Appiiatign med December 7, 1915. serial ne. 65,5543.y Y' I (GRANTED UNDER iran raovIsIoNsor TZIIE cfr v or Kanone, `i9'2 1, 74 1 sin, i., 1 3i3.)

To all (whom t may come/m: ,Y Be it known that I, HENRI BoImAU, a citizen of the French Republic, residing at Bois- Colombes, Departement de la Seine','France,

Vhave invented certain new and useful lImprovements in'Pneumatic Guns, of which the following 'is a specification.y The use of compressed gases for throwlng projectiles offers certain advantages for shooting at short range, in view of thesimf f plicity of the apparatus and of the ease with whichl the. force used vfori throwing thepro-y jectile is produced. On Athe other hand, it-

presents certain diflicultiesfowing to the necessityof edecting at the desired moment a very sudden communication between the as generatoror tank, and the barrel containing the projectile. I

On the other hand it mayv happen that ,the pressure of the gas to be'utilized, suddenly varies, for instance inthe case, of a compresser placing a tank under pressure, so

that it would be very difficult to seize the eX-V act Vmoment lwhen the desired value is reached. It may also happen that, after eachv shot,V Vthe pressure is not brought back to `its original value, and varies, whilst still being capable of use for shooting. As the initial velocity given to the projectile, and the range are functions of the pressure, it is Lnecessary in this case, in order to maintain a constant range, to modify the elevation ofthe gun.

This variation of elevation vis LValso necessary'when it is sought to obtain, by trial, a

given point of-fall. It leads toa loss of' canbe iredsuccessively to the ysame point,"

A without modifying'y the elevation, in spite of possible variations of pressureat the generator. 'It makes itpossible, moreover, vto vary'atany moment the pressure at which communication is automatically established between the generator or tank and the barrel of the gunfso' that the adjustmentfof the point of fall is obtained vwit out any modifirThese resultsarebtained by inserting? between .the barrel and ,the ,generatore-f com;

pressed lfluid, an adjustable automatic valve, v@.QLDIIIS,ingV ,a balanced ,or partly corrx'peli'7 sated valve the suddenopening of which ,is produced by means 0f adistrbut'mg valve Operated by the compressed irdf cation'of', .elevation land the angle of.,`

In the accompanying drawing? giveirlay;Y l

. .t. apparatusn tiring posi ion. i

Figures tand 5 are vvertical sections of I modified constructions lof the lvalve andfdistributor for the ludunder pressure-V' Gis the pressure generator, in this pasean air 'compressor driven 'by a hand `wl1eel.r

This pump ,is eonnectedby a ,union ,a and a valve /U to an .intermediate tank R. This tank. is provided witha pressure gauge YM` and 'is connected 'by a pipeT to' the al'itoV matic valve V.y The latter, in, the vconstruction illustratedomprses .as a main valve', a Piston 72 Which` inthe position ,of restfseparates the pipe T and the port admittin the gases from the valve V to ,the gunfl, Onthe rod of thepistonp are mounted two cylindrical slide' valves'or piston valvesl lI! all 3'. i Y

The pressure of the tankfacts behind the slide valve s' in :the chamber c, owing to the passage of compressed gas through'the lat.- eral conduit d, the cross-section of whichcan be regulated by means of a" needle valvel ej The pressure exercised'on the mainl valve vp is therefore partly compensated by the counter pressureexercised on the .piston valve s, Aspring f, the tension Qf1Whch can be adjusted by means of a screw h, isalso used as' an additional compensator; The spindleof the piston valves s and t is Vprovided with a conduit c' which opens between'I the valves s and s andthus establishes communication bef tween the space comprised between thefmsaidA valves, and the chamber cv arranged behind the 4valve es. The latter valve, in the pgsltgn of rest, covers an exhllst Port *l When the pressure in the intermediate tank R increases, the main valve p exposed to an increasing force, more orless compensated, according to the proportions of the appressure exercised on the valve s, and by the tension of the spring f, will-be moved. In its movement, it will gradually move the valves s and t until the valve s uncovers the port k and closes the opening of the conduitd. I At that moment, the pressure falls inthe space between the valves t and s, as well, as inthe `chamber 0,'so that the resistance offered to the movement ofthe rmain valve, suddenlyv becomes" very slight. The piston 7) is consequently thrown forward, and quicklyfun` covers the'port L, which results in a direct ,communication being' established between thefgun C and the intermediate tank Rk through the pipe-T and the conduit Z.

As soon as the `pressure issuiiciently re-y duced behindKA the piston p, the latteris 3 brought back to its initial position by the spring f.

' According" tothe initial compression, or to the position given to the said spring by thesaid screw h, the movement of the piston prand of the slide valves will be more 'or Vless retarded, and the port Z", uncovered for a different pressure.

" Figures 4 and5 show two other examples of arrangement ofthe adjustable automatic valve, in which the movements of the slide .y pressed against its seatby an antagonisticV springt The pressure acts under the valve "valves are independent of that of the .main

valve. I

11n-the example shown in Figure 4:, the main valve is constituted by a valve p p andjhas the tendency to raise it and to establish direct communication between the gasadmission conduit T and the discharge conduit Z' leading tothe gun C. The gas passesjhowever through lateral .conduit d: in ya small cylinder containing theslide valves t and s. A der theslide valve t., It is also established i through the 'conduit e' between the slide valvesl and s, and through theI conduit j, inv 50` the chamber c of the valve p which isheld on its `seat by the said counter-pressure and by the resistance of` the spring r. The

vvvalves t and s are controlled Vby an antagon isticl spring f adjustable by means of a sQreWcap 71,. An exhaust port is provided inthe wall of the cylinder of the slide valves.` When; owing to the increasev of pressure.

of the gas under the slide rvalve t, the

spring f is compressed to a suflicient extent to make the valves uncoverthe port k, the.

chamber situated above the .main valve is emptied, andthe pressure underthe valve p. being no longer compensated, the said valve suddenly opensv and establishes com The 'pressure thus acts un munication between the tank and the breech ofthegun. v As in the preceding arrangement, the reg- 'ulation of the firing pressure is effected by paratus and its adjustment, by the counter,

the screw h. f

In the modified construction shown in Figure 5, the main valve is constituted by a piston valve 72 with a compensating spring A r. The slide valve ais a piston, the antago.

acts on the stem.n,1in`the conduit, pushing it up untill itiuncovers the portsu allowing the pressure to enter the main chambers4 and act on thepiston or valve s which raises untilV it in turn uncovers the ports 7c inthe valve casing V. Assoon as the valve raises abovethe portsl 7c,-the upper ysident the main'valve p is released of pressure and consequently is quickly raised oi rof its seat, and direct communication is established between the intermediate tank and the gun.

An auxiliary handcontrolled exhaust device o could be fitted to the valve, by means of which the movement of Vthema-in valve couldbefbrought about before its automatic disengagement is obtained by means oit the distributors. 1- t 7 The constructions described are given merely by way or' example, and thesliapes and combination of parts, as well as dimensions, material and applications., can be varied, without .departing from thev scope of the invention. v

What I claim as my invention and to secure :by Letters Patent is LA pneumatic4 gun jcomprising a conipressed iiuid generator, an intermediate storing tank, an adjustable `automatic valve desire between said tank andthe breech of the gun,;

an auxiliary lvalve 'toi' operating the main valve, resilient tensioning' means for said auxiliary valve, means for storing pressure under the auxiliary valveV and means for re@ leasing the air aressure from under the auxiliary valve w en a predetermined pres,

sure has beenl reached and thereby cause the main valve .to open suddenly, substantially as described. i

2, Apneumaticl gunzconiprisinga com! pressed fluid generator, an intermediate stor ing tank,` an adjustableY automatic valveV be-y 1,405,664v ya in which the Huid pressure passing through In testimony whereof I have signed my the valve is stored whereby the auxiliary name to this specification in the presence of valve is adapted to1 move o uncoxer the eX- v a subscribing Witness.

haust ort and re ease t e store pressure e in the Efihztmber and thereby cause the main Y HENRI BOILEAU Valve to open suddenly, substantially as de- Witness:

scribed. CHAS. P. PREssLY. 

